The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors with complementary guidance features that reduce misalignment as the electrical connectors mate to each other.
Electrical connector systems typically include a receptacle connector and a plug connector. The receptacle connector defines a cavity or slot that receives a portion of the plug connector when the connectors are mated to each other. The portion of the plug connector that is received into the cavity of the receptacle connector may be relatively rigid in order to hold electrical elements, such as contact pads or contact beams, in fixed positions. For example, the portion of the plug connector may include a rigid substrate of a circuit card (e.g., board), a plastic housing or tray, or the like.
The relatively rigid portion of the plug connector can damage the receptacle connector if the plug connector is misaligned with the receptacle connector during the mating operation. For example, the receptacle connector may have spring beam contacts that extend into the cavity to engage the electrical elements of the plug connector. If a rigid portion of the plug connector enters the cavity of the receptacle at an angle offset from a desired mating orientation of the plug connector, an edge or corner of that rigid portion may dig into the spring beam contacts as the operator adjusts the orientation of the plug connector to straighten the plug connector relative to the receptacle connector. The edge or corner of the rigid portion may push one or more spring beam contacts out of position, resulting in a disrupted electrical connection and/or potentially an electrical short if two adjacent spring beams make contact. The edge or corner of the rigid portion may also break some of the spring beam contacts as the operator straightens out the misaligned plug connector within the cavity of the receptacle connector. Damage from misalignment between the connectors during mating typically occurs, but non-exclusively, in blind-mating and hard-to-reach situations in which vision of the receptacle connector and/or access to the receptacle connector is restricted as the operator attempts to couple the connectors.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electrical connector system that reduces or eliminates the risk of component damage and/or disrupted signal transmission during mating that is caused by misalignment of the connectors.